Bowser and Peach: A Love Story
by rynling
Summary: A sweet and simple love story featuring King Bowser and Princess Peach. Sorry, Mario!
1. A Fairytale Princess

Chapter 1: A Fairytale Princess

Princess Peach was everything a princess is supposed to be. She was pretty and smart, and she looked good in pink. Her eyes were big and blue, her nose was cute and petite, and her long, honey-colored hair kicked up in little flares that framed her heart-shaped face. Peach's mother had passed away when she was still a small girl, so her father, the king of the Mushroom Kingdom, made up for her missing mother's affection by lavishing all his attention on the young princess. Nothing was too good for his little girl. Her tutors were all famous professors from the illustrious Mushroom University. Her voice teachers taught her how to sing like a mermaid. Her riding coaches were former winners of the Toadstool Cup Championship. Her governess, an elderly mushroom maid, taught her everything she needed to know in order to become a perfect lady. Peach toured the kingdom annually with the kingdom's ministers and Toadsworth, the court's High Magician. Everywhere she went, her father's subjects would come out of their mushroom houses and throw flowers at her feet. Everyone loved the little princess, yet she remained sweet and gentle.

When Peach reached her sixteenth year, she was given more freedom to roam around the castle. The Mushroom King's ancestral home was ancient and vast, with many secret passageways and hidden chambers. Some rooms were filled with magic, and opening their doors would lead into strange and interesting places. One room was filled with snow and a glimmering crystal ice city. Another door opened into a vast sea, with the ruins of a half-sunken city vaguely visible on the horizon. Peach couldn't wait until she came of age. Not only would she ascend the throne to rule alongside her father, but she would also begin her lessons in magic with Toadsworth.

That was still a few years away, though, so, for the time being, Peach contented herself with roaming around the lower portions of the castle, where the servants lived and worked. In contrast to the starry ceilings and glittering chandeliers of the upper palace, the rooms near the castle's foundation had a closer, warmer, earthier feel. The narrow hallways were fragrant with the familiar smell of human people and mushroom people, fresh laundry, and the food being prepared in the great kitchens. Whenever the princess descended to visit, she would always be greeted fondly and given small morsels of sweets as a memento of her visit. Since it could be lonely in the lofty halls above, Peach started to find her way into the servant's quarters more and more as she grew older.

One evening, after a particularly important meeting with a visiting nobleshroom, Peach headed down into the kitchens to search for leftovers. Even though the audience had been catered, Peach had hardly eaten a thing. Her father had done most of the talking, but Peach was nervous about her role as princess and had tried bravely to keep up with the half-spoken innuendos tossed back and forth over the dinner table. As soon as the meeting was adjourned, she had realized that her nervousness had not dulled her appetite, after all. On her way down the ornately carved stairs and twisting passageways of the lower castle, she happened to notice a clammy, wet smell she had never experienced before. Following her nose to its source, she came upon a small open door from which descended a set off mossy steps. Ever curious, the princess stepped through the door and made her way carefully down the staircase, trailing her hand along the damp stone wall. After a few twists and turns, she entered a vast cavern filled with enormous metal pipes. Kneeling in the light thrown by a lantern set on the floor was a young man wearing blue overalls, work boots, and not much else. He appeared to be scrutinizing a set of diagrams spread out on the floor in front of him. He was mumbling softly to himself.

"Excuse me…" the princess ventured.

"Ah!" The young man, startled, sprang to his feet and, in the process, overturned the lantern at his side. The flame dimmed for a brief moment before he caught hold of the lantern and stood up, getting the first good look at his visitor. "Princess!"

"Who are you? What are you doing here? What is this place?" asked Peach, looking around in amazement.

"Ah, ah, uh, um," the young man stammered, suddenly aware of his uncouth appearance.

"What is you name?"

"My, um, my name is Mario. I'm the son of the plumber who engineered the castle pipes."

Peach gazed at the boy standing before her. He was still skinny with youth, but his arms and shoulders spoke of strength and endurance. His hands were big and awkward, but his long, graceful fingers told tales of skill and experience. His hair was black and hung untidily around his face. He had a prominent nose, but it looked handsome on his round, boyish face. The shadow of a beard tinged his cheeks and jaw. His eyes were dark blue, like the night sky. He stood there, bashfully, looking at her, waiting for an approving response. Peach blushed and looked away.

"I wasn't aware that the castle was equipped with so many pipes. What are they here for?" Indeed, they were a sight to see. They were fashioned out of a metallic substance that shone dully green in the lamplight. Some of them looked big enough to crawl into.

"Well, you see," Mario started, pleased to have found a subject he could easily discuss, "we're right up under the kitchen here, right?" Well, these pipes help serve the kitchen. Some of them bring in water from the river upstream, and others dump the kitchen waste in the river downstream. There are other pipes in other parts of the castle too, you know. Some help control the level of the water in the castle moat, and some help take care of, uh…" he paused, "other types of waste. You know."

Peach didn't know, but she had a vague idea. "And your father built these?" she asked.

"Well, um, you see," Mario stammered, overcome with a sudden modesty, "my dad designed them, and a whole slew of people helped build them. This is before I was born, of course. Now, though, the whole set of them has gotten old and leaky," he gestured with the lantern, throwing light onto the pipe maze, "so my old man sent me and my kid brother out to make some adjustments."

"Your brother? Is he in there? Right now?" Peach pointed towards the pipes.

"In…there? Oh, no!" Mario replied, laughing. "He got hungry and decided to go upstairs to get something to eat. It's about suppertime, you know."

Princess Peach was charmed by Mario. She was charmed by his low town accent, by his bashfulness, by his arcane knowledge (plumbing?), and, most of all, by his deep blue eyes, which danced in the flickering light.

"I was just about to get something to eat. Would you give me the pleasure of accompanying me?" the princess asked, grinning.

"The pleasure is all mine." This was Mario's time to blush and look away.


	2. The Princess and the Plumber

Chapter 2: The Princess and the Plumber

A year passed. Princess Peach grew into an even more charming and vivacious young woman. She was seventeen, and the various ministers and noblemen (and nobleshrooms) started to take notice of her. It was time to start finding excuses to introduce their sons into the palace. And perhaps their daughters could enter the princess's retinue of ladies (and toadstool maids) in waiting. The princess was indeed a peach, soft and tender, glowing with sunshine and happiness.

Mario, of course, was hopelessly in love with her. He did his best to find excuses to visit the palace after his repairs of the kitchen pipes had been so extensively completed that he had no excuse to linger there. Fortunately for him, he had inherited his father's genius for engineering, and, even though he was young, the councilors to the royal family welcomed his suggestions and funded his projects.

He was accompanied everywhere by his younger brother Luigi, who acted as Mario's manager, drafting his plans and overseeing their execution. Luigi was taller, sharper, and more conventionally handsome than his older brother. He also had a certain way with words, and many people mistook him for the elder of the two. Mario, who masked his adoration of Peach with a professional familiarity, was at first worried that Luigi would steal away the heart of his princess. To his great relief, however, Luigi promptly began a clandestine affair with Peach's cousin, a luscious young noblewoman named Daisy.

Peach, a year older and a year closer to her ascension, became increasingly involved with the affairs of the Mushroom Kingdom. One of her duties was to serve as a liaison between the court and the two Mario brothers, who had begun to gather fame across the land. She relished her meetings with Mario, which were held in increasingly less formal spaces as time went by. Sitting across from each other at a low wooden table in the kitchens, perched on the ledge below a stained-glass window, or letting their feet soak in the mountain hot springs contained within one of the castle's magic rooms, the pair would discuss pipes, drainage, and water pressure. Peach would gossip about court affairs and gush about how eager she was to begin studying magic with the court's High Magician, Toadsworth.

One day, Luigi, emerging from the ladies' quarters in the upper reaches of the castle's east tower, casually remarked to Peach that his brother would soon become a year older. Peach blushed and immediately set about making preparations.

A princess's celebration of a plumber's birthday is not generally met with open enthusiasm, unfortunately, so Peach had to content herself with merely calling Mario in for a routine repair. This particular repair, however, concerned the princess's private quarters, so she was free to be alone with Mario as much as she wished. They chatted with each other as he tinkered with this and that, and, when he was done, Peach escorted him into the main bedroom and presented him with a package that she had hidden under her pillow.

"Here, I know it's your birthday, and I want you to have this."

Mario, who was too surprised to say anything like "No, you shouldn't have" or "I couldn't possibly accept this" simply accepted the package from Peach, being very careful not to touch her hands as he did so. He blushed deeply and kept his eyes set firmly on a point approximately two inches above Peach's right ankle. Still glancing down, he unwrapped the package carefully. Inside was a floppy red hat with an "M" stitched in white above the bill.

Peach giggled as the cap came into view from beneath Mario's fingers. "Do you like it? All the nobles are wearing them these days. It's just a small thing, but I couldn't help wondering how it would look on you. Why don't you try it on?"

Mario smiled and adjusted the cap on his head before striking a gallant pose. "How do I look? Noble?"

Peach snorted. "Absolutely. It suits you."

"Well then," Mario boasted, "that settles it. Now I can come to the balls you throw, a dashing prince. What do you say?"

"A prince? That's a big responsibility. Princes have to always worry about rescuing the princess, you know. Are you up for that?"

"I would rescue you," Mario said quietly, suddenly serious. "No matter what, I would come and rescue you. I would cross oceans and jump through fire to make sure you were safe."

Peach smiled. "You know, I think you're the only real friend I have here. My ladies in waiting are just paid to be here, and the noblemen are only interested in is the throne. It's always so nice to talk to you. I'm so glad I met you."

Mario met her eyes and didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he broke the silence.

"I think it's time for me to leave. I shouldn't be thinking thoughts like this in your bedroom. Thank you for the gift, Princess. Until we meet again."

And with that, he turned and left.

As soon as the door swung shut behind him, Daisy poked her head out of an adjoining room.

"Oh, that's too bad that he left. Things were just starting to get steamy, too."

Peach shrieked and, laughing, ran to chase her cousin.


	3. Vol de Nuit

Chapter 3: Vol de Nuit

It was late in the evening when Peach returned to her room in the east tower. Her coronation ceremony had been held that morning. Since the moment her mother's tiara was placed on her brow, she had been whisked away to a constant stream of ceremonies and banquets, complete with an exhausting array of costume changes. The highlight of her day, however, had been when Daisy had pointed to one of the balconies of the Mushroom Hall, over which Mario and Luigi furtively peeked to catch a glimpse of the princess. Peach hummed to herself as she brushed her hair and thought of her first magic lesson, which would be conducted by the High Magician Toadsworth early in the morning.

Suddenly, she became aware of a dull throbbing noise like summer thunder. Before she had a chance to turn, the window of her tower bedroom crashed open. The ensuing gust of wind blew out the candles on Peach's dresser, leaving her in almost total darkness. Confused, the princess walked towards the window, wondering about strange weather and sudden storms. As approached the window, she noticed that the night outside was unusually dark. Drawing even closer, she realized that the darkness was in fact a gigantic shadow.

Peach screamed, once, and then tripped over the hem of her dress as she turned to run. She didn't see the shadow climb in through the window, but she knew it had come for her when she was suddenly confronted with two blazing red eyes and a huge mouth full of enormous, razor-sharp teeth. Peach prepared herself to scream again, but everything grew heavy and numb as her consciousness fled.

***

When she awoke, Peach found herself bound to a chair of some sort. Her first sensation was the wind teasing the fringes of her hair. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw. She was flying through the air, with nothing in front of her but a single glass screen. She gasped in amazement.

"Oh, so you're awake," a voice rumbled beside her.

She glanced towards the voice and felt her breath catch in her throat. Sitting close beside her was the thing that had come for her in the night. She could see it clearly in the moonlight – it seemed to be some sort of enormous turtle, studded with horns and capped with a spiky shell. A mane of hair sprung from its head, but the rest of its body was covered in scales. Its giant hands, tipped with cruel-looking claws, grasped some sort of two-pronged device.

"I wasn't aware that people still fainted," the creature remarked as it glanced at her out of the corner of its eyes.

Peach tried to rise from her seat but was restrained by the cords crossed over her waist and chest. "What is the meaning of this? Unbind me!"

The creature growled in an uneven way that could be interpreted as laughter. "That's called a seatbelt. I fastened you in so that you wouldn't go flying away if we hit a turbulent pocket of air. You can unbind yourself if you unlatch the buckle that's resting on your right hip, but I wouldn't recommend it. We're pretty high up, and there isn't much below us."

"So we really are flying," Peach mused, momentarily forgetting her predicament. "How are you doing this? Is it magic?"

"No, you idiot girl; it's not magic," the thing grumbled through its teeth, starting straight ahead. "But of course you would think that, coming from your backwards barbarian kingdom. I bet you peons still get your water from a well and shit into a hole in the ground."

"Absolutely not!" Peach fumed, flustered by the sudden accusation. "We have pipes!"

"Ha! Good for you. Maybe you'll invent toilet paper soon."

Toilet paper? The very word was obscene. What in the world was this monster talking about?

"In any case, this is called a hovercraft. We're riding in a hovercraft. It's kind of like an upside-down helicopter."

"A heli-what?" Peach was incredulous.

"Well, you know," the creature said. It removed one of its hands from the instrument in front of it and combed its claws through its mane. The hair, Peach noted, was a dull shade of red.

"A helicopter floats in the air because of the power of the fan blade above it, right? Well, in a hovercraft, the blade in underneath the carriage. When we started out, we had the fan behind the car. That took the thing off the ground, but we couldn't control the altitude. Besides, it was too noisy. This thing has its problems, but I suppose it's fit for kidnapping a princess."

"Oh, is that what you're doing? Well, you don't know who you're messing with. I order you to release me this instant!"

This time, the thing really did laugh. It threw its head back against its shell and let out a deep, strangely melodious sound. Peach could see its fangs glistening in the moonlight.

"A noble speech, you highness, but I don't think you want to be released right now. In case you haven't noticed, we're flying a few hundred feet above the ocean. If I released you, the first thing I'd have to do would be to rescue you. Besides, you're in this for the long haul."

The creature glanced at Peach, and then lowered the hovercraft until the horizon came into view. He pointed straight ahead to a point beyond the windshield. Peach squinted, and she thought she could somehow make out lights rising from a monstrous structure.

"We're headed for the Koopa Kingdom. My name is Bowser, and I'm the king. You'll be living in my castle from now on, and you might as well get used to it. After all, we're going to be married."


	4. Dungeons and Dragons

Chapter 4: Dungeons and Dragons

Princess Peach was silent for the rest of the ride. There had to be way out of this mess, but she couldn't think of it at the moment. A giant turtle named Bowser had kidnapped her using some sort of flying machine called a hovercraft. He was the king of a country called Koopa Land, and he intended to marry her. Peach distracted herself from these unpleasant thoughts by reviewing her history lessons in her head. She was sure of it: she had never heard of a place called "Koopa Land." Although maybe the High Magician Toadsworth had mentioned something…

"We're almost there," Bowser announced, breaking the silence. "It might get a little rough, so make sure you're strapped in. If you start to feel sick, bow your head and close your eyes. We don't need you puking on the dashboard."

Peach turned her face towards the creature, surprised by his concern for her, however inappropriate his choice of words may have been. Bowser, however, was occupied with other things. He seemed to be adjusting a set of lights on the panel from which stemmed the device that he had kept an iron grip on. As the hovercraft began to drop in altitude, an enormous monstrosity of a fortress started to loom above the small vehicle. Peach didn't allow herself the luxury of wishful thinking. She knew that this was their destination. She would find some way to get herself out of this, somehow.

As the hovercraft came to a halt in the castle's wide, stone courtyard, several figures approached with ropes. Peach noted with awe that these things were turtles, too. She assumed that the ropes were for her. When the craft was almost touching the ground, Bowser jumped out. Peach screamed when the vessel suddenly sprang a few feet into the air.

"Get this thing secured, will you?" Bowser ordered as he reached up and, by sheer brute force, pulled the craft back down.

The lesser turtles bustled into action, loosely knotting their ropes through holes in the craft's hull and tying them through iron rings attached to the stones of the courtyard. They glanced at Peach with wonder in their eyes. She was surprised to find that these creatures were not nearly as frightening as Bowser. They were shorter and less heavy. Instead of fangs and claws, they had beaks and chubby little fingers. Although Peach couldn't see clearly in the faint light of the cloudy moon, they appeared to have different-colored shells. If Bowser was a monster, then these were pets. They were almost cute, if you thought about it.

"Here, you can get out now." Bowser suddenly appeared at her side. He adjusted a section of the hull so that it collapsed downward into steps. "Remember what I said about unbuckling yourself. The clasp is right above your hip."

Peach fumbled with the buckle before finally freeing herself. As soon as she stood up, all of the blood in her head rushed down to her feet, and she began to black out again.

Bowser caught her, neatly. His enormous hand wrapped around her waist, and he picked her up like a toy before setting her on the ground next to the hovercraft.

"It seems we have a delicate one, here," he remarked, frowning at her. He turned towards the lesser turtles. "The princess is fatigued from the journey. You, make sure her room is prepared. You, notify the chefs that they will have a meal delivered to her room. And you, make sure this thing is refueled before it gets back in the hangar" His words sent the turtles scattering across the courtyard and into the castle.

"What are those things called?" Peach asked, buying time until she felt secure on her feet.

"Things? Ah. I guess we can't very well can't call ourselves men, so we call ourselves Koopa. The word used to signify a citizen of this kingdom, but now we use it to refer to ourselves as a race. I suppose there's no difference."

Confused by his words, Peach glanced upwards to question him, but Bowser was looking towards the moon. Taking advantage of the situation, Peach darted her eyes around the courtyard, looking for a means of escape.

"It won't do you any good," Bowser remarked. "You're stuck here. No one gets in or out, except through the front door. Now, if you don't mind, I will escort you to your room in the dungeons. Follow me, or I'll have to carry you."

Peach, exhausted and bewildered, had no choice but to follow Bowser, who stalked off ahead of her. When they entered the castle, Peach was taken aback by the sheer ugliness of the structure. Even though the floor was cobbled together from large, smooth river stones, the walls were composed of a grainy, grey substance that looked like it would be uncomfortable to touch. Instead of fire or candle light, the halls were illuminated by some sort of flares set into the walls, which radiated a pale, sickly light that made everything appear vaguely green. There were no windows, and the air was muggy and moist. The only smell was the gritty odor of stone.

Peach walked in silence, trying not to notice the way the way that the light shone evilly on the spikes on Bowser's shell. He was easily a good two or three feet taller than her, and, if he stopped suddenly without her noticing, she would almost certainly poke out her eyes, or perhaps something more vital, on his shell. To distract herself, Peach marked how his tail, also spiked, dragged along the ground. It was almost pathetic, in a way.

Bowser led Peach up several sets of staircases. He had said that he was leading her to the dungeon. Weren't they supposed to be going down? Was he going to torture her first? Even worse, were they going to his room to be…married?

"Excuse me, but didn't you say you were taking me to the dungeons?" Peach asked peevishly.

"That was merely a figure of speech. Your rooms will be in one of the castle towers. Unfortunately, my people are not as warm-blooded as we would perhaps like to be, and no one wants to live in a drafty tower. You'll have the place more or less to yourself. I can't imagine that you would object to this arrangement."

Peach, relieved, did not object. She simply followed Bowser up another flight of stairs. The precise nature of her situation had begun to dawn on her, and she struggled not to cry. Bowser led her to a door at the end of a hallway. As they approached, the door opened, and out spilled a ray of warm light, as well as two lavender-shelled Koopa.

They bowed. "The room is ready, King Bowser."

Bowser nodded and stood next to the door with the two maids, waiting for Peach to enter. She tentatively stepped across the threshold. Although the room could not match her quarters at the Mushroom Palace, Peach was surprised to find that it was equipped with furnishings that suited a noblewoman. A human noblewoman. She strode across the room and sat down on the bed.

"How do you like it?" Bowser asked, from outside the door, bemused.

"It's cold in here."

"Perhaps I can do something about that," Bowser entered the room.

Peach feared the worst. "What can you do about anything, you stupid turtle?" She could no longer restrain her tears.

Bowser did not appear to be taken aback in the slightest. "I prefer 'dragon,'" he said as he positioned himself in front of the fireplace. "Watch this."

Peach saw him bend forward, open his mouth, and exhale a solid jet of fire onto the logs. They burst into flames instantly. Peach was too exhausted to be surprised, however, so she just lay down on top of the covers.

A Koopa dressed in chef's whites entered the room, dragging behind him a cart filled with covered trays. "Where shall I put these, Your Highness?"

Bowser turned to look at Peach. He took a few steps towards her. Her breathing was deep and even.

"You might as well take them back down," he sighed, looking through one of the open windows. The light of dawn had begun to tinge the edges of the sky a pale blue.


	5. An Enchanted Castle

Chapter 5: An Enchanted Castle

Peach slept through the entirety of the day. Occasionally, she would open her eyes, realize that she wasn't in her own bed, and will herself back to sleep. She didn't want to face the agony of waking up and coming to terms with her situation.

"Wake up."

It was a man's voice, surprisingly young, giving her an order. What in the world?

"Wake up. It's already 9:00. I don't want you to get jetlag."

Jet lag? Peach turned towards the voice and opened her eyes. She immediately felt the urge to scream. Crouching at her bedside was the same enormous monster that had stolen her from her room and whisked her away across an ocean. Horns and claws, fangs and scales. Bowser. Peach bit her tongue, hard.

Bowser simply looked bored. "I imagine you need to eat, as well. Before we head down, perhaps I ought to show you how the bathroom works."

Peach sat up in bed. At some point, someone had tucked her under the covers and dressed her in a silk nightgown. Her cheeks burned red.

"How dare you presume to do such a thing?"

"Fine, suit yourself. We'll see if you can figure it out on your own. Good luck."

Bowser stood up and turned away. He assumed Peach was referring to the bathroom. He, in fact, had left the care and handling of Peach to her maids, the two lavender-shelled Koopa.

Peach took one look at Bowser's spiky shell and quickly lowered herself from the other side of the bed. Thankfully, that side faced an open room, which Peach assumed to be the bathroom. She fought the urge to run in and lock the door behind her. When she arrived at the doorway of the bathroom after a stately stroll, she gasped. Nothing was what it should have been. Even if the bed was meant for a human, the bathroom was obviously not.

She heard Bowser's voice from the other side of the room. "Do you need my help yet?"

She said nothing as Bowser padded up behind her. "Excuse me," he said. She stepped out of his way.

He plodded into the bathroom. Peach noticed that he looked extremely out of place in the room, which was filled with shining white porcelain and ornately carved pink marble.

"To begin with, this is the toilet." He lifted a cover off a low, white chair. "You sit here," he pointed, "and you pull this lever when you're done." He demonstrated. "This is the sink." He stepped over to a marble counter. "To turn on the water, twist this lever." He gestured, glancing at Peach to make sure she understood. Her eyes were wide with amazement. "To turn it off, twist it back again until the water stops. One lever will give you hot water, the other, cold. They're clearly marked, so I'm sure you can figure out which one is which. Next we have the bath." Bowser walked across the gleaming white floor and stopped next to a raised platform. "Come here so you can see this," he gestured.

Peach was so overcome with wonder that she did. She momentarily forgot that she was standing next to an enormous dragon wearing nothing a nightgown. She had never seen anything like this. Even if the hovercraft was a machine, this had to be magic.

"This is the bathtub." The platform was, in fact, a large basin. "You turn the water on like you did with the sink." He demonstrated. "This knob stops the drain so that the bath will fill." Again he demonstrated. "The shower is over there." He pointed to a small, glass enclosure. "It works the same way. You seem to be a smart girl; I'm sure you'll figure it out. These bottles and canisters contain various soaps and lotions. Being a princess, I'm sure you'll figure those out, too." An amused smirk spread across his broad mouth. "In any case, your maids will have fresh clothes waiting for you when you're finished."

Taking a few steps towards the door, he opened a overhead cabinet, pulled out some towels, and offered them to Peach. Seeing that she wasn't about to take them from him, he placed them on the marble countertop. The spacious room suddenly felt very small to Peach. Without saying a word, Bowser turned and left, closing the door behind him. Peach walked over to the counter and placed her hand on the pile of towels. They were the softest things she had ever felt in her life. She picked them up, buried her face in them, and cried.


	6. Black Magic

Chapter 6: Black Magic

When Peach emerged from the bathroom, her two Koopa maids raced across the floor to greet her. One took her hand and led her to the bed, on top of which lay a pink dress.

When she had finished dressing, the two maids bowed and, giggling to each other, left the room. Bowser entered a second later. Peach saw that his hair was an unnaturally bright shade of red in the sunlight.

"Have you been waiting all this time?"

"Unfortunately, I have. If you're quite ready, I think it's time for you to eat. Please come with me."

Peach, who had done some thinking in the bath, suddenly flared with anger.

"How can you act as if everything is normal? Didn't you just kidnap me? Didn't you threaten to marry me? When is that going to happen?"

Bowser jerked his head toward Peach. His eyes flashed.

"Don't kid yourself, princess. I didn't bring you here to marry you. That's just what I wrote in the ransom note I left in your bedroom."

"A ransom note? So this is about money? You kidnapped me for money?"

"I most certainly did not. If you want to know the truth of the matter, I have no intention of returning you to the Mushroom Kingdom. I kidnapped you to start a war."

"That's utter nonsense. Why would you do such a thing?"

"So that everyone single one of your countrymen can die a painful, miserable death on foreign soil, Princess."

"So that's it. That's it. You're insane. Great. I'm stuck in an architectural nightmare with a crazy talking turtle and his crazy turtle friends. Wonderful. So why is it that you want to start a war, again? Did you get bored with your little hovercraft?"

"Don't be impudent with me, Princess. Your life means nothing to me. I'm keeping you alive merely as a courtesy. But if your dead body would provoke a war that much faster, then so be it."

This was the first time that Peach had seen Bowser express anything other than carefully moderated boredom. Even though she knew she was the victim, she couldn't help feeling as if she had wronged him in some way.

"I'm sorry." After Peach had spoken, a heavy silence hung in the air

Bowser eventually relaxed his posture and sighed. "I'm the one who should apologize. I kidnapped you, and I'm holding you prisoner. I at least owe you an explanation.

"Our kingdom was attacked fifteen years ago. We received no warning, and our land was devastated. Not just our castles, but our homes and farms and factories were destroyed. In a few short days, our population was reduced by more than half. Due to the nature of the attack, we have determined that it was launched by your kingdom."

Peach was dumbfounded. "And what was the nature of the attack?"

"In short, we were all turned into dragons. Many members of the older generation went insane and began destroying everything around them. A good number of those who kept their sanity died shortly after as a result of not knowing how to stay alive. Depression claimed many others. Many of those who survived the initial aftereffects ended up dying within a few years anyway. In this form, our natural lifespan is half of what it once was. We who were very young when the catastrophe hit have somehow managed to live on, but our country is doomed. I don't know how we'll be able to last much longer. The only thing we can do now is avenge ourselves."

Peach couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with my kingdom?"

"Magic. The only thing that could have done this was magic, and your kingdom is the only country in the known world that possesses the power of magic."

"You idiot!" Peach snapped. "Why couldn't you have just waited a year or two? If you had waited, then I would be able to use magic, too! If you had waited, then maybe I could have reversed the spell myself!" Peach's anger and annoyance had caused her to make this bold statement, which she didn't believe. Bowser did not respond to her, and it didn't seem as if he gave much credit to her words, either.

Peach could not bring herself to deny Bowser's accusations. She had seen the Mushroom Court's High Magician, Toadsworth, perform the same spell on a sentenced convict when she was a little girl. And why hadn't she ever been taught about the kingdom of the Koopa, which was only a night's trip away from the Mushroom Kingdom? She couldn't believe that Toadsworth could do such a thing. She couldn't believe that her father would allow such a thing. Is this what her kingdom did? Is this what her kingdom was? Despite her earlier show of bravery, the princess could no longer control her tears. Although she willed herself to remain silent, teardrops began to leak out of the corner of her eyes.

Bowser seemed embarrassed. He raked his claws through his hair. He stepped closer to the princess, and raised his hand, as if to comfort her in some way. After a second of indecision, he withdrew his gesture, and contented himself by saying,

"Listen, we'll talk about this later. Maybe there's something that can be done. I shouldn't have spoken as I did. I can only conjecture that the two of us have waited too long to eat this morning. I came up to invite you to breakfast. It would give me great pleasure if you would attend."

"It doesn't matter," Peach said under her breath, so that Bowser couldn't hear her. "It doesn't matter what you do. None of this matters. Mario will come and rescue me."


	7. Where There's A Will

Chapter 7: Where There's A Will

Three days had passed since Princess Peach had disappeared. Although there had initially been something of an uproar, the atmosphere at the castle was strangely placid. The consensus seemed to be that the princess had vanished into one of the magical rooms hidden within the castle walls and had somehow gotten lost. The High Magician Toadsworth led the search through the various enchanted doorways, but the rescue efforts had so far proven fruitless. Both the king and the people held sufficient trust in Toadsworth, however, to not launch a full-scale search outside of the castle. It had not occurred to anyone that Peach might have been kidnapped.

Or perhaps it had occurred to one person. Mario was beside himself with worry over Peach. Although he had seemed confident that the princess would be quickly returned, or rather, that she would quickly return herself, as the days turned to night and then to day again, Mario began to display increasingly violent signs of agitation.

"Peach wouldn't have gotten herself lost in some magic room in the castle. She knows all of those territories better than else who lives here," Mario explained to Luigi and Daisy. "If she had some sort of accident, we would have found her by now. I just can't believe it. Why am I the only one who's upset in this entire kingdom?" He raised his voice, throwing his hands wide.

Luigi frowned. "You're not the only one who's upset. Can't you see that we're worried, too? And those rooms are infinite. No one has ever explored all of them, not even the princess."

"Besides," Daisy added, "time passes differently on the other side of those doors. Peach probably got drunk at the coronation ceremony and wandered off in a flight of fancy. More than likely, she's snoring away under an enormous toadstool on the dark side of the moon. She'll probably find her own way back when she wakes up hungry."

Luigi laughed and gave Daisy a salacious look from the corner of his eyes. "You know, one of these days I'd like to get you drunk and spend some quality time on the dark side of the moon."

Daisy's flirtatious giggles were cut short by Mario. "Are you two serious? She's been gone for three days. Three days! She could be hurt, or starving. Even worse, she could be lost somewhere far away from the castle right now! Don't you two recall that the hinges of her bedroom window are broken? Daisy, didn't you say that you haven't been able to shut it properly since Peach disappeared? What if someone broke it?"

Luigi was surprised by the change that had come over his normally taciturn older brother. "I don't understand," he started, cautiously. "Are you suggesting that someone ascended the tower, broke into the window from the outside, and then spirited the princess away? That's ridiculous. You'd have to have wings to do that. Her window must be a good three hundred feet off the ground, and it looks straight down over the castle moat. No one could get into her room except by magic – or a magical flying machine – and the High Magician would have been able to detect magic." Mario looked as if he wanted to interject, but he could find no words to refute his younger brother's argument.

"You know," Daisy mused, "I do think it's rather strange that no one seems to be in a panic over Peach's disappearance. I mean, she was just crowned, right? She was scheduled to perform a tour of duty around the Mushroom Kingdom. If she's missing, then all sorts of audiences would have had to have been canceled, and the entire kingdom would know that she's disappeared. Why isn't everyone out looking for her? Now that I think about it, Mario, it is kind of weird. I'm ashamed to say this, but it hasn't even crossed my mind to start looking for her myself, or even to ask Toadsworth how the search is going.

"And you know what?" Daisy turned to Luigi, absently tugging at a lock of his unruly hair as she avoided looking at either of the two brothers. "I can't for the life of me understand why, but I have a memory at the back of my mind that I can't quite catch hold of. On the night of the coronation ceremony, I remember being woken by a strange noise. It was almost like, I don't know. I can't find the words. Like a growling, maybe? Like a vibration. It was coming from, oh, I just can't remember! It sounded like it was coming from everywhere."

As Daisy seemed to be on the verge of tears, Luigi pulled her to him, and she buried her face under his chin. Luigi looked at Mario from over her head. "I haven't been unduly worried, either. That seems rather odd, doesn't it?" Mario said nothing. Luigi continued, "It seems that perhaps the idea of a magical flying machine is not so far-fetched, after all. What Daisy seems to be describing is the sound of a motor." Mario nodded. "This is far from common knowledge in the Mushroom Kingdom, but I remember Dad muttering something about an island kingdom with an extraordinarily advanced level of technology a week's journey to the east by sea. I've always thought it was one of the fantasies of his old age, but he seemed fairly convinced – and the other workmen refuse to say anything about it, which I find highly interesting. Do you think that maybe…?"

Mario nodded. He had heard the rumor from his father himself, and the idea had been nagging at him ever since he had discovered the broken window. The Mushroom Kingdom was at peace with all of its neighbors, but if there were a mysterious country across the eastern ocean that no one would speak of, would it perhaps be a land filled with vicious barbarians willing to kidnap a princess at the slightest pretext? He was surprised to hear Luigi confirm his suspicions, as fantastical as they might have been.

"In any case," he said to Luigi, nervously twisting his red embroidered cap in his hands, "I don't think it would hurt to go looking for her. I can hire a boat from the harbor, and someone at the docks might have seen or heard something. Hanging around this castle is starting to give me the creeps. I'm going."

"Right now?" Luigi asked. Daisy turned to look at Mario.

Mario nodded.

"Do you think you'll find her?"

"I'll find her. I don't care what I have to do; I'll find her."

With that, Mario put his cap on his head, turned, and walked off.

Daisy looked up at Luigi. "That's so romantic! Would you go off to find me, if I disappeared?"

Luigi lowered his cheek to hers and spoke into her ear in a low voice. "Of course not. I would expect you to rescue yourself in time to be back in your room before I came to visit you."

Daisy sighed. "What is it we were so worried about just a few seconds ago?"

"I have no idea," Luigi whispered absentmindedly before bringing his lips to hers.


	8. Peach in Koopaland

Chapter 8: Peach in Koopaland

Almost an entire week had passed since Bowser had brought Peach to his seaside fortress. Apparently, Bowser had not received any word from the Mushroom Kingdom, and this seemed to infuriate him to no end. Peach didn't even need to ask him if any news had come from home; he complained directly to her, all the while petulantly insulting her kingdom. Although Peach refused to respond to his taunts, she was amused by Bowser's irritation. He was like a lover who hadn't yet received a reply from his intended. Peach had quickly ascertained that she was under no danger of physical harm in the Koopa kingdom, and Bowser's servants seemed fascinated with her, always finding excuses to talk to her and ask her questions.

Truth be told, Peach was rather enjoying herself. Compared to the official travels she had expected to undergo after her coronation, being kidnapped was like a vacation. Not only was she allowed to luxuriate in her lavish bathroom, but she was provided with an astounding array of clothing, all of which was much more comfortable than the dresses she was used to wearing at home. The food here was delicious, as well. Peach had been somewhat surprised to find that the local cuisine was entirely vegetarian, but she supposed that was only fitting, considering that this was a nation of turtles. Bowser, despite his fearsome teeth and claws, ate alongside her while explaining the various ingredients. Occasionally the chef would come out of the kitchen and offer his own commentary before asking Peach about the food served in her home castle. He seemed particularly interested in the princess's descriptions of mushroom people and seemed perplexed about the existence of walking, talking fungi, which Peach found supremely ironic coming from a walking, talking turtle.

Bowser himself seemed to be quite busy, often skipping meals, but once a day he found the time to show her a different part of the fortress. With everything from a wide balcony overlooking the ocean to a vast library bejeweled with stained-glass windows as his stage, Bowser explained to the princess the wonders of his castle. Bowser patiently elucidated electricity, refrigeration, and concrete, all the while seeming inordinately proud of the technology, as if he had invented it himself.

Before too many days had passed, Peach came to suspect that he had. One day he took her outside the castle, across the courtyard, and into an enormous structure that he called a hangar. The space was filled with wires, steam, and the cacophony of drills and hammers. The Koopa here wore gloves and goggles and seemed too engrossed in their work to acknowledge the presence of the king. As the pair strolled through the maze of machinery, Bowser would point out various projects, all of which seemed utterly fantastical to Peach. A linked cart that would run on rails? A device that could broadcast sound? A manufactured substance that would increase crop yields? Finally, Bowser came to a stop at a large desk covered in paper of all sizes and colors. From the way that he plunked himself down in the oversized chair behind it, Peach could tell that this desk was his.

"Come here," he said to her, shuffling through the paperwork. She tentatively came to his side and was surprised to note that his chair rested not on solid earth but on wheels, allowing him to roll it across the floor effortlessly. She was even more surprised when he spun the seat atop its stem to face her.

"This is my dream project," he said, flattening a blue piece of paper on top of the desk with his claws. Peach was bemused. She could see the outline of a ship drawn in chalk, certainly, but what in the world was the disproportionately large oval ballooning out from it?

"This is an airship," he said, as if to answer her unspoken question. "Just as helium will cause a balloon to rise into the sky, a sack filled with a lifting gas, if it's large enough, should be able to raise a passenger craft into the air. Unfortunately, helium is quite costly to produce, and hydrogen has proven to be extremely flammable. Also, we haven't yet discovered a suitable material for the balloon. So this one's still in the planning stages. If we could only develop a prototype, we'd be able to break away from fossil-fueled single occupancy vessels, and everyone could travel by air." As he spoke to her, Bowser's eyes shone, and Peach could feel his enthusiasm start to affect her. She leaned in closer to study the design.

By the end of the first week, however, Bowser was clearly restless. "Your kingdom," he ranted, "can't even figure out how to use carrier pigeons. How do you people even communicate with each other? Are you still in the dark ages? I bet you haven't even figured out printing yet. But anyway, you'd think they'd have an armada rushing to rescue you. Surely you've invented boats by now? Maybe they're having people swim?"

Peach, cupping her chin in her hands across the breakfast table, grinned. She had seen no preparations for war made inside Bowser's castle, and she had learned to accept his threats of aggression as mere venting. With its superior technology, yes, this kingdom could be dangerous, but Bowser just didn't seem like the aggressive tyrant his appearance and words would suggest. Peach decided to tease him.

"You know, I'm not worried in the slightest bit. Mario will rescue me," she smiled at him.

"Mario?" he laughed. "What a silly name. Is he some famous general? Fat and overdressed and drunk on cheap brandy?"

"No, he's a plumber."

"A plumber."

"Yes. But he said he would rescue me, if I were ever in trouble, and I know he will."

"Ah, I see." Bowser's face fell. A few moments passed before he grinned and spoke again. "A knight errant, on a quest to save the princess from the evil dragon. One can never be too careful of plumbers. In that case, I will have to make preparations. I will instruct my nobles to fill their moats with lava and construct ingenious traps to waylay him. The roads of the kingdom will be patrolled by foot soldiers, and I will assemble an army of paratroopers to vigilantly keep watch for this brave soul Mario."

Bowser stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair and his silverware. He raised his right paw into the air, as if swearing an oath. "Mario will never have you, princess! I, Bowser, have kidnapped you, and I will see to it that he never reaches this castle!"

Peach giggled appreciatively. Even having only known him for a week, she knew that Bowser would never do such a thing. And, even if he did, Mario would still come to rescue her.


	9. By the Light of the Sun

Chapter 9: By the Light of the Sun

Having knocked over his seat in his ardent declaration of villainy, Bowser strode over to Peach. He grasped the back of her chair and turned it to face him. "You know, if the Mushroom Kingdom hasn't sent word concerning your rescue by this point, they certainly aren't going to today. I'm getting sick of waiting around the castle all day. Let's go on a picnic! What do you say, Princess?"

Standing from her chair, Peach rolled her eyes. "Do I have choice, Oh Great and Terrible Bowser, Kidnapper of Princesses and Waylayer of Plumbers?"

Bowser nodded. "Excellent. You will be riding, so you'll need to change out of that silly dress. I will be waiting for you in the courtyard." With that, he bowed to her, turned, and strode briskly out of the hall. Peach was amused. In all her life, she had never met someone who had treated her this informally. She supposed Bowser was a king, and thus equal to her in noble rank, but his attitude was refreshing. He wasn't a politician or a nobleman, bound to show her nothing but carefully cultivated respect, and nor was he a servant, trained to obey her every order. Besides Daisy, who was family, and Mario, who, despite his earnest attentions, was still on the payroll of the throne, Bowser was the closest thing to a friend she had ever made.

Half an hour later, Peach emerged into the central courtyard wearing riding pants and a light jacket. She quickly scanned the area for horses, but there were none to be seen. The mid-morning sun reflecting off the cobblestones forced her to squint and shield her eyes with her hand. The handmaids at her side withdrew, leaving her standing alone awkwardly. When Bowser called her name, she felt a flash of irritation, as if she had been stood up for an appointment. When Bowser's shadow fell over her, she was ready to speak out in annoyance, but her eyes quickly fell on the strange creature he was leading.

Peach didn't know what to make of it. It was large, green, and scaly, but also oddly cute. "This is a Yoshi," Bowser explained to her, pulling the beast to a halt. "It's a type of dinosaur. They're named after the man who domesticated them, but now they all seem to refer to themselves as 'Yoshi.'"

"It's named after the man…" Peach felt an uncomfortable feeling rise in her chest at Bowser's casual reference. She hadn't allowed herself to put much thought into the matter, but it was true that all the Koopa used to be men, not turtles. And somehow, this was her kingdom's fault. Peach's disturbed train of thought was quickly interrupted by the Yoshi, which lowered its head, looked at her, and said, quite distinctly, "Yoshi?"

"Oh my goodness," Peach gasped. "It's so cute!" She broke into a smile. The Yoshi seemed delighted by her response and pushed its snout into her hands like an oversized dog. Peach laughed and scratched it between the nostrils. It made a happy sound in its throat like humming. Peach continued to laugh in disbelief.

Bowser beamed, flashing his terrible teeth. He stepped behind Peach and, with a smooth, fluid movement, picked her up and placed on her the Yoshi's saddle. His height allowed him to flip the reigns over the dinosaur's head. He offered them to Peach, and she took them from his claws.

She looked up at him. "What will you ride?" she asked, curious.

"Ha! As if I need to ride anything. Follow me!" With those words, Bowser dropped to all fours and galloped out of the courtyard. As Peach spurred the Yoshi on to follow him, the Koopa at the drawbridge saluted with their spears.

The wind whipped through Peach's hair as she urged the Yoshi after Bowser. The dinosaur, which ran on two legs, had none of the up-and-down lurching of a horse, and Peach was surprised at how smooth the ride was. She was also amazed at the speed Bowser was able to maintain. Although he tended to waddle on his hind legs, he was quite graceful on all fours. Peach noted that his tail did not drag on the ground when he ran, and she felt a tinge of sadness rise in her heart. The only reason Bowser, or any of the Koopa, walked on their hind legs must be to retain some semblance of humanity. As Bowser flew across the green landscape, his horns flashed in the sunlight.

The two finally came to rest under a tree at the edge of a forest. After Peach dismounted the Yoshi, Bowser removed its saddle, allowing it to wander freely. Peach watched the dinosaur shoot out its frog-like tongue to snatch fruit off the tree while Bowser unpacked their lunch. He unwrapped two glasses and a bottle of wine, which he uncorked by spearing the cork with one of his claws. He handed Peach a wine glass and poured for her, gracefully balancing the large bottle in one hand.

The wine was a deep burgundy, but it sparkled like stars out before the sun had fully set. Peach sipped it appreciatively. "This is delicious," she laughed. "Everything here is so delicious."

"Try one of these," Bowser said. He lightly tapped the trunk of the tree with the side of his hand, bringing down a small shower of fruit. He caught one that fell directly over Peach's head and handed it to her. She took it from his claws and polished it on the hem of her jacket. The red fruit seemed to shine purple and gold from the inside, like a magic globe.

Bowser sat with crossed legs, his hands on his knees, gazing at the horizon, which was broken by verdant hills. Peach followed his gaze and noticed what appeared to be the ruins of some great structure on top of one of the hills. The area surrounding the ruins was a scorched shade of grey.

"You know," Bowser said, "this didn't used to be an empty island dotted with concrete castles. I was very young when the cataclysm hit, so I don't remember much, but we used to have cities filled with tall buildings and wide boulevards. Where we are now, by the sea facing your country, seems isolated, but there used to be great roads connecting this land from coast to coast. There used to be art and music, but now I don't have much to entertain you with besides the view." He fell silent.

Peach felt as if she should say something, but, despite her many years of diplomatic training, she could find no words to respond to him. Suddenly, the panorama before her seemed hateful, and the fruit in her mouth tasted bitter.

Desperate to find any means necessary to break the silence and change the subject, Peach almost didn't notice the subtle, rhythmic vibration that shook the ground. Although at first she thought it must be her imagination, it increased in intensity until her wine glass tipped over and overturned on the ground.

Peach looked at Bowser. His eyes darted from side to side in search of the Yoshi, which had disappeared. His knuckles were clenched on top of his knees, and every hair on his mane seemed to stand on end.

"Listen," he whispered to Peach under his breath, climbing to his feet and offering her one of his hands, "you're not going to like this, but right now you're going to have to–"

His words were cut short by a sudden cacophony of trampled undergrowth as an enormous creature lumbered out of the nearby forest. Bowser froze. Peach wanted to scream in terror, but her instinct told her to remain silent. Her eyes watered as she bit her bottom lip.

The pair stared at the thing. It was perhaps twenty feet tall and just as wide. It seemed like a large, brightly colored ball supported by two stubby feet and punctuated by two black eyes, which were uncannily small for a beast of such great girth. It appeared harmless enough until it opened its mouth, a gaping maw filled with hundreds of teeth that effectively split its body in half. Neither Bowser nor Peach dared to move.

Unfortunately, the thing seemed to notice their very lack of motion and stared back at them. It blinked twice, stupidly, and then charged.

Bowser was up in a flash. He ran towards the creature in a straight line and leaped an impossible distance into the air, landing on its head. He dug his claws into its fleshy forehead and raked them forward, throwing his entire weight into the motion. He tore deep furrows into the thing's head before puncturing its eyes, which popped with a spray of viscous yellow fluid. The creature wobbled on its legs, causing Bowser to lose his balance. He toppled forward, and the thing's mouth caught one of his arms as he fell. Bowser roared, sending plumes of fire from his mouth. The monstrosity widened its eyes in fear, blew a gust of wind from its nostrils, and clamped down on Bowser even harder.

The battle had taken place in the span of a few dozen seconds, and Peach had remained paralyzed by fear. Now, however, she saw that Bowser would not be able to extricate himself without losing his arm. She felt a warm, mysterious power rising within her, and suddenly, she knew what to do. She stood, pointed at the thing, and whispered, "Burn."

Tall flames leapt around the enormous creature. It opened its mouth to cry out, dropping Bowser, who rolled through the fire as he dropped to the ground. Coming to a stop a few feet in front of the inferno, he stood his ground, but the thing, wailing loud enough to send flocks of birds rising from the forest, turned tail and ran, crashing through the trees and disappearing out of sight.

When Bowser returned to Peach, she saw that his scaly skin had saved him from serious injury. "What was that thing?" she asked.

"It was a Goomba. They've been running wild for years now." Having answered, he stared at her. "Did you just use magic?" His voice was quiet, but his eyes shone with a fierce emotion that looked like rage.

"For the first time, yes," Peach answered brusquely, not wanting to invite any further accusing questions from Bowser. She looked down at the spilled wine soaking into the picnic blanket. "Let's get out of here." Although she was secretly exhilarated at the exercise of her newfound power, the violence of Bowser's fight with the Goomba had unnerved her, and the thick smell of the blood oozing from his arm made her feel sick. The bright afternoon sunshine glinting off Bowser's horns made her mood even blacker.

"Some king he is," Peach thought to herself as she watched him tear the blanket into strips to bandage himself. "He's the dragon king of a monstrous wasteland. He's the king of nothing. What am I doing here?"


	10. By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 10: By the Light of the Moon

Peach stood alone on a balcony overlooking the sea. A full moon hung in the sky to the west. No matter how often she watched the waves, she never saw any signs of an approaching ship. The Mushroom Kingdom had a brisk maritime trade with other islands, and this particular island wasn't that far away, all things considered. According to the maps Bowser had shown her, it was also relatively large and thus easy to find. And yet almost three months had passed since he had brought her here. While she had been here, the summer had deepened, and the salty air blowing around her was sticky with humidity.

Bowser seemed almost as concerned by the Mushroom Kingdom's lack of a response as Peach. He had sent a series of messengers across the ocean, but none had returned. As the weeks passed, he stopped questioning her about the Mushroom Kingdom's level of technology and war potential and starting drilling her on the politics of her kingdom. He would stay up late with her, taking notes on her answers while drinking a vile black substance called he called coffee. Before long, he stopped sending messengers and started sending spies, and his questions turned from politics to the topic of magic, the very mention of which seemed to rub him the wrong way.

The food and wine here were delicious, and everyone in the castle was unfailingly kind to Peach. On occasion, other noble Koopa, which were almost as large and ferocious-looking as Bowser, would come to the castle. They would tell her stories about where they lived, and, every once in awhile, escort her in fantastic machines to their castles to visit. These nobles, although smaller in stature and less commanding in presence, seemed older than Bowser and were quite interesting to talk to. After a particularly intriguing conversation with a noble sprouting a mop of aggressively bright blue hair, Peach demanded that Bowser teach her the written language of the Koopa, which consisted of a syllabary instead of an alphabet. He had readily agreed, and, with that knowledge, the castle's vast library was opened to her.

Peach read through the histories of the kingdom, amazed to find her own people described as barbarians. The citizens of the Koopa kingdom had apparently been content to develop their own civilization without making advances on nearby countries. To her amazement, the Koopa had explored and mapped more of the main continent than she had ever dreamed existed. Up until at least fifteen years ago, the Koopa kingdom had maintained a vast network of diplomatic relations. They even had an embassy in the capital city of their closest neighbor, the Mushroom Kingdom.

Or at least that's what the book said. Peach had never seen or heard of such a thing in her life. Could this be some sort of terrible plot on the part of Bowser and his minions? Peach doubted it. After all, the strangely lifelike illustrations that accompanied the texts depicted human beings, not anthropomorphic turtles. It was more likely that Bowser was telling the truth, and that she and her people had been lied to. In any case, a mystery was most certainly afoot, but the keys to solving it were at her home in the Mushroom Kingdom. She could do nothing here, trapped by the ocean in this castle.

She sighed and continued to stare out at the sea. She heard Bowser approach; despite his lithe movements, his awkward upright posture ensured that he could not go anywhere without making noise. He came to a stop beside her and crossed his arms over his carapace. Wordlessly, he gazed at the horizon.

"When are you going to let me go home?" she asked him.

Bowser barked a laugh. "And here I was, thinking you're pretty smart for someone who favors pink so strongly. Did you miss something somewhere along the line? I kidnapped you. You're stuck here."

"You know, I'm coming to believe that you never had any intention of starting a war. Why did you go through the trouble of kidnapping me? Obviously, it isn't serving whatever purpose you may have had. Why don't you let me go home? I might be able to help you. And if I can't, I know people who can."

Bowser frowned. "Has it ever occurred to you that there are people in the Mushroom Kingdom who don't want you to go home? Why do you think no one has come to rescue you?"

"What exactly are you saying?" Peach challenged.

"I'm saying that I don't think it's safe for you to go home right now. Don't you think the idea has occurred to me, to take you with me to make an open threat to the king? We could leave in the morning and be back before dinner. But something's not right in your kingdom. I suppose you're not aware that everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom has forgotten that you even existed. That's why no one has come to rescue you."

Bowser's words were not angry or vindictive, and Peach instinctively knew he wasn't lying. Was such a thing possible? She felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Mario hasn't forgotten me. Mario will rescue me."

Bowser sighed. "Yes, I suppose he will rescue you. I received word two months ago that a young man, dressed in ridiculous clothing and claiming to be from your kingdom, had washed up on the far side of the island. I gave orders that he was to be sent here immediately, but it seems he has successfully avoided capture and tends to be more inclined to fight than to talk. As a result, he is making his way to us, slowly but surely. He should be here any day now."

Peach's control finally broke. "And why haven't you told me?" she screamed at Bowser through her tears. "Why haven't you told me about any of this? Don't you think that maybe I would have had some input? What in the world do you gain by keeping this information from me? You pretend to care about me, but I really am just a hostage to you, aren't I?"

Bowser winced. "But you're so young, I thought…"

"I am not young! And who are you to judge? You look like some terrifying ugly dragon, but you're not much older than I am, are you? You think I'm young? You're too young to rule a kingdom. And even if you're not, it's not like all your super-advanced strategy is getting you anywhere, anyway. What are you even going to do when Mario gets here?"

"I suppose I'll let him rescue you. Every princess needs a knight, after all. This terrifying ugly dragon will fight him a little, you know, cough up a few fireballs, to make him feel like he's won something. And then the two of you can swim back across the ocean, for all I care."

Peach was surprised by the sudden bitterness in his voice. Tears continued to stream down her face. "And what will you do, once Mario has rescued me?"

Bowser was silent for a long while as he gazed steadily out over the ocean.

"I would kidnap you again. And again and again. No matter how many times he rescued you, I would keep kidnapping you."

Peach looked up at Bowser, but he continued to watch the moon over the horizon.


	11. The Moment of Truth

Chapter 11: The Moment of Truth

Peach was roused from her sleep early the next morning by Bowser, who had barged into her room. The pale light of dawn had just begun to stream over the horizon. He was at her bedside almost before she had a chance to sit up.

"Mario is almost here," he announced. "If he keeps his course, he should arrive within the hour or two. I apologize for waking you, but I imagine you'd like to greet him. His help is going to be crucial for us, so I don't need him attacking my staff. Come on, get up."

Peach looked at Bowser. His hair was wild, but he seemed composed and alert, although his eyes were rimmed with red. Had he stayed up all night? What had he been doing?

Peach was surprised to find that she cared more about what Bowser had been doing during the past five or six hours than she cared about what Mario had been doing for the past two or three months. She chided herself before springing out of bed, not caring if Bowser saw her in an uncharacteristic state of dishabille.

The passage of an hour found Bowser and Peach on a balcony overlooking the castle's main courtyard. Peach was sitting, enjoying a cup of breakfast tea while watching the slow ascent of the late summer sun. Bowser paced, the morning light glinting off his horns.

Suddenly, Peach heard screaming below. A small group of Koopa ran through the main gate. They cried out for the drawbridge to be raised. Bowser flew to the railing of the balcony. The courtyard quickly filled with Koopa. A party of soldiers ran to the machinery that operated the drawbridge, but they were too late.

Mario charged through the gateway on a Yoshi. Reaching the middle of the courtyard, he leapt off his mount. No longer the shy young man who worked on pipes in the basement of Peach's castle, Mario's adventuring had turned him every bit into the ideal image of a hero. The red and yellow cape that framed his muscular figure made him appear even more dashing. He was still wearing the floppy red embroidered hat Peach had given him for his birthday. The princess grinned and looked on with interest.

One of the soldier Koopa stepped towards Mario. Mario turned towards the turtle and snapped his fingers, engulfing his adversary in a blaze of flames. Other Koopa quickly rallied, but Mario attacked them as well, using a combination of magic and reflexes. The stench of blood and roasted flesh rose from the courtyard. Peach stood, dropping her cup and saucer to the ground. She looked at Bowser, who could do nothing but stare dumbfounded at the sudden onslaught of carnage.

"Bowser, stop this."

Bowser roared. The fighting ground to a halt as everyone turned to look at him. He leapt down into the courtyard, shaking the ground with his impact.

"Mario!" Peach cried from the balcony.

Mario looked at her, but his eyes were hard. He quickly turned his attention away from her to face the dragon in front of him.

"So you're the monster that kidnapped the princess," he taunted. "I've come to rescue her, and I'll kill you if you try to stop me."

"An ignorant murderer like you has no right to touch the smallest hair on her head, plumber. You will stand down!"

Mario brought his hands into a strange position in front of his face and began to whisper the words of a spell. Peach yelled Mario's name again, but the last syllable of her voice was drowned out by the noise of a rapidly approaching engine.

Bowser's hovercraft, piloted by the blue-haired noble, maneuvered its way through the arch above the drawbridge. Koopa soldiers dove out of its way and, before it had come to a halt, Luigi jumped out and ran towards Mario.

"Mario! Stop this right now! We've got to find the princess! She's in terrible danger!"

Daisy alighted from the hovercraft behind Luigi in a flash of petticoats. "The king has been assassinated! Everyone in the entire kingdom is under some sort of spell – they're all like zombies! No one even remembers that Peach ever existed! Toadsworth has–"

"Toadsworth has what?"

An eerie voice floated above the courtyard, and everyone fell silent. With a crack of thunder, High Magician Toadsworth appeared, suspended in the air. He laughed. His robes swirled around him.

"It seems you've uncovered my plot," he leered, addressing Daisy. He pointed at her, and lightning flashed from his finger. Luigi sprinted forward and jumped in front of Daisy, taking the blow. He fell to the cobblestones unconscious, his green clothes smoking.

Mario stepped forward, confronting Toadsworth. "You're the reason no one in the kingdom had paid any attention to Peach's disappearance! And you're the reason everyone has forgotten about the very existence of this island!"

Mario shot a stream of fireballs at Toadsworth, who deflected them with a wave of his hand.

"Indeed," he laughed. Another gesture of his hand sent a wave of energy across the courtyard, causing Mario and the Koopa soldiers to fall to the ground. "And I'm the reason the king of the Mushroom Kingdom is now dead!"

Peach, who had ducked behind the balcony railing when she heard Toadsworth's voice, heard these words echo across the courtyard. She clenched her fists as she felt anger rise within her. She knelt so that she would be able to see over the rim of the balcony. Below her, Mario rose to his feet and glowered at Toadsworth.

"You lie!" he screamed.

"Alas, but I do not!" Toadsworth seemed to be enjoying himself. "This kingdom is the only one in the world that could have stopped me, but unfortunately, its citizens seem to be incapacitated at the moment." He laughed maniacally.

The blue-haired noble, who had been biding his time, launched himself from the hovercraft. Toadsworth twisted his chin, and the Koopa's head exploded in a grotesque shower of blood, which spattered across the hovercraft's windshield. His body bounced off the hull of the hovercraft and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

"The Koopa Kingdom has slowly stretched its way across the continent, bringing back the resources and knowledge of every civilization it has found. And why does the Koopa Kingdom do this? For enlightenment? I think not. They are a threat to us. Why should the Mushroom Kingdom be secondary to this slag race of cretins? Unfortunately, the former ministers of the kingdom did not approve of a full-scale attack – and neither did the former king. But I have taken care of them. I will need Princess Toadstool to add legitimacy to my future endeavors. Using her as my puppet, I will subjugate this kingdom and use its technology to–"

Peach, who had been listening in mounting horror to the High Magician, suddenly caught sight of a flash of green. Bowser had taken advantage of the showdown between Mario and Toadsworth to sneak around behind the Koopa soldiers, and now he raced towards the floating Toadsworth from behind. Mario caught sight of Bowser, and, seeing the approaching menace reflected in the plumber's wide eyes, Toadsworth spun around just as Bowser leapt into the air to tackle him. In the impossible space of an instant, he raised his hand and sent a black flash of magic towards the Koopa king.

"No!" Peach screamed, and Bowser was instantly shielded by an iridescent barrier. Toadsworth's magic bounced off this wall of light and struck him full in the face. Flashing violent colors of crimson, the High Magician plummeted to the ground as Bowser sailed over him. Toadsworth screamed in terrible agony before bursting into an explosion of sparks and spores. The force of the blast was enough to knock even Bowser a few paces backward.

Everything was silent for a moment, and no one moved. Then, suddenly, an awesome flash of white light burst from the space where Toadsworth had fallen. It quickly radiated outwards, blinding everyone in the courtyard. Peach threw her arm in front of her face to shield her eyes. With the brightness came an immense silence; Peach felt it ringing in her ears.

When Peach felt the sting of the light and its overwhelming silence recede, she lowered her arm and opened her eyes. She couldn't believe what she saw.

Facing Mario in the courtyard below was not an enormous dragon but a young man. Although he retained his horns and his unnaturally red hair, his scales and shell had transformed into a dark green suit of armor that gleamed dully in the sun. He stood a full head over Mario, whose overalls and tattered cape seemed puny and insignificant when compared to the majesty of the Koopa king.

Bowser stared at his hands, which he had brought up in front of him, and then looked around in wonder. All of the other Koopa in the courtyard had been similarly transformed. Finally Bowser looked up towards the balcony for Peach. She blinked, unsure of what to do, and then waved, smiling. No one in the courtyard said a word.

Bowser burst into a wide smile and saluted her broadly. He then stepped forward towards her. Perhaps because he was not used to his new long legs, he overbalanced and tumbled to the ground. Beside the hovercraft, Luigi snorted laughter. Daisy, amused at Luigi's impropriety, began to laugh softly. Mario, overwhelmed at the sudden turn of events, put his hand to his mouth in an effort to suppress his own laughter. Bowser, sitting in full armor on the cobblestones of his courtyard, threw his head back and roared laughter at the sky. One of the Koopa let out a cheer, which quickly swelled as others joined in. Peach looking down on the scene and smiled so hard that her cheeks began to hurt. One of her maids, a pretty young girl in a flowing lavender dress, hugged her from behind before grabbing her hand to lead her downstairs, laughing.


	12. Happily Ever After

Chapter 12: Happily Ever After

It was late afternoon in the Koopa Kingdom. Bowser stood in front of the full-body mirror in Peach's old room. His face was so close to it that the tip of his nose almost touched the glass. He put an unclawed finger on the thin skin under his right eye and pulled down. Yes, the flesh surrounding his eye was still pink. Why pink? A sheaf of red hair escaped from behind his ear and fell across his face. How annoying. He stuck out his tongue at his reflection.

Bowser had spent most of his life vaguely wishing to be human again. Now that the wish had come true, he couldn't be more displeased. Several months ago, Princess Peach had gone back to the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario, Luigi, and Daisy to mourn the death of her father and to do what she could for her people. For his part, Bowser had taken advantage of the energy and enthusiasm that had spread through the country after Toadsworth's curse had been broken to launch a massive reconstruction effort. The old roads were being repaired, new buildings were rising in the old, ruined cities, and his soldiers, armed with weapons their newly flexible fingers had no trouble operating, were finally driving the island's dangerous wildlife away from inhabited areas.

Unfortunately, even without an enormous spiked shell weighing him down, Bowser found that he was easily exhausted in his new form. Not only could he no longer breathe fire or run on all fours, but he was also plagued by annoyances such as having to sit down every once in awhile and getting his fingers squashed by his machinery. Being human took some getting used to. Apparently, humans couldn't jump from great heights without getting injured, and they had to bathe more than once a week. If he tried to swallow without chewing his food, Bowser found, he would choke. And getting dressed and undressed was a huge pain. Perhaps Bowser's only consolation was that he had retained his horns, a birthright of the royal family. Looking closely in the mirror, which reflected the late afternoon sunlight into his face, Bowser was pleased to note that his teeth were still a little pointy.

It was only rarely that Bowser had time to be alone like this. All winter, he had been busy restoring his kingdom. Since Peach had gone home, he had nothing better to do than attend a constant stream of meetings and tour the country to oversee various reconstruction projects. Although he had sent a diplomatic team to the Mushroom Kingdom, and although their efforts at forming an alliance between the two kingdoms seemed to be going well, Bowser had not attempted to contact the new queen directly. As winter ceded to spring, he could still find no excuse to visit her. There was not a day that went by that he did not think of her, however, and now, in the few free moments he had, he found himself in her room.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp crack behind him. He spun around and caught a whiff of a sweet, floral scent. A second later, Peach materialized next to the window. The rays of the sun, which had just started to set, caused the jewels on her small crown to sparkle brilliantly.

Bowser was mortified to be caught without warning in such a private moment. "What are you doing here?" he roared.

Peach laughed. "I should ask you the same thing. You've been so busy that you haven't even written a letter to me, and here I find you alone in front of a mirror in my old room!"

"I –" Bowser started, and was embarrassed to find that no words of explanation jumped into his head. He stepped away from the mirror.

"Well," Peach said, walking towards him, "I figured out how to jump from one place to another by magic to come here. I had expected to take you by surprise, but this will work just as well."

Bowser felt his cheeks burning. His palms were sweaty. "And just what did you come here to do?"

Peach grinned. "I came to kidnap you."

"I'd like to see you try." Bowser laughed, but he found it difficult to keep his voice steady. Peach was standing so close to him, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. Of course he had looked at her before, but he had never really seen her. In the soft red light of the sun, her hair shone like honey, and her eyes were as deep and blue as the sea. Bowser could feel his heart beating in his throat.

"I bet I wouldn't have to try very hard." Peach reached up with both hands, took hold of his horns, brought his face down to hers, and kissed him.

How amazing it was when her lips met his. Bowser stepped forward, encircled Peach with his arms, and drew her close to him. How wonderful it was that his body matched up so perfectly with hers. When their kiss ended, Bowser held her tightly.

"I thought you would have hated me," he said.

"I did. For awhile, anyway. But then I couldn't stop thinking about you. And it made me so mad that you never came to visit! Even though you could leave in the morning and be back by dinner."

"What about Mario?"

"Don't be silly. I never got irritated if I didn't see Mario for a few days."

"So you've come to kidnap me. What exactly are you planning to do with me?"

"I think we should get married. It would be extremely strategically convenient, you know."

"Ah," Bowser beamed. "A political marriage. This is quite a sudden proposal. We will have to give it careful consideration. You'll have to excuse me, but I must consult my ministers."

Peach laughed. "Of course. But first I'm going to kidnap you."

"Will Mario come save me?"

"Stupid. Are you ready to go?"

"Not yet."

With that, Bowser drew Peach to him again and kissed her. Against the light of the setting sun, they formed a perfect silhouette of two lovers, one topped with a crown, and one topped with horns.


End file.
